In-depth

Mary MacKillop's life does not just tell us about a brave and determined woman who has become a saint. It also says something important about Australia and the Australian Catholic Church today, and about the vision we need as Australians and Catholics.

Change and difference in Catholic liturgy have been in the news recently. Provisions will be made for Anglican congregations and clergy who wish to join the Catholic Church. These may include the possibility of celebrating the liturgy in the distinctive form they have developed.

After the death of someone who has lived a life of heroic virtue, questions often turn to whether that person should be made a saint. The canonisation process has evolved over the past 1,000 years. The steps are outlined in the Apostolic Constitution, Divinus Perfectionis Magister, which was brought into effect by Pope John Paul II in 1983. Liz Lillis provides a step-by-step guide to sainthood.

In Australia today when we think of saints we are likely to think of Mary MacKillop. She is already called Blessed Mary MacKillop. People look forward to the day when she will be canonised a saint and will join St Clare, St Catherine of Sienna and all the other saints.

We all want to be respected. But respect can mean many different things to us. Some associate it with bullies who teach respect with their fists. Others associate it with being stiff and polite in ways that don't come naturally to us. In this Explorations we look at the kind of respect that is important in all our relationships, and how we can respect others in natural ways.

When we think of Church Teaching we often imagine Pope Benedict speaking in Rome. But if we think of people learning faith, we are more likely to imagine children sitting in a classroom. The two images go together because they correspond to two questions we ask about teaching faith.

For over a year politicians and the media have been preoccupied with the economic crisis. Now we are experiencing the effects of the recession to which it has led. Some businesses have closed; most have laid off workers.